Sewing machine attachment



Nov. 7, 1933. J. w. B. COLEMAN 1,934,343

SEWI NG MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed June 2, 1932 Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to sewing machines and particularly to the provision of means for enabling the securing together several layers including relatively thick materials, such as the shoulder filler or sleeve head pad, lining, shoulder padding, fabric and other elements at the shoulder of a coat, without compressing the filler and other layers where stitched.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing, the invention resides in the provision of a special construction and arrangement or" presser plate and cooperating parts of a sewing machine particularly designed and adapted to guide layers of fabric, such as mentioned above, in superposed relation to the stitching mechanism of a sewing machine of standard oscillating needle type, whereby the needle passes through the filler and secures the same preferably to a single layer of fabric without passing through the other layers and padding.

The means by which the foregoing is accomplished and the details of construction and arrangement of mechanism embodying the invention will be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and in which Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a portion of a sewing machine showing the stitching and feeding mechanism and provided with parts embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a presser plate embodying the invention and showing the feed dog associated therewith;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View showing the arrangement of some of the layers of materials used at the shoulder of a coat such as the filler,

fabric, and shoulder padding, and showing the manner of securing the parts together in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 5 is a view of a portion of a coat broken away at the shoulder to show the arrangement of the filler, fabric, and padding after the same have been secured together in the manner shown in Fig. 4 and the sleeve brought to normal posi tion; and

Fig. 6 is a view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the accompanying drawing and particularly to Figs 1-3, the numeral 10 designates the lower portion of a head of a sewing machine to which a yoke 11 is pivotally secured by the screws 12 for oscillating movement about the screws as an axis when actuated by mechanism, not shown, through the crank 14, whereby the needle 15 will be swung through an arc toward and away from the shuttle 16 in known manner. All of the parts mentioned are of standard and well known construction.

Below the head 10 there is a longitudinal chamber'closed by the end plate 17 and a shaft 18 0 extends through the chamber and plate 17, and I has secured thereto a lever 19, the shaft 18 being connected to actuating mechanism, not shown, for oscillating the same. The lever19 is con- I nected by a screw 20 to link 21 which is also con i nected to a link 22 attached at 23 to the feed dog 24. The lever 19 is also attached to a link 25 which is connected at 26 to the bell crank 27, and the bell crank is connected at 28 t o the link 29, which is attached at its upper end to 70 the feed dog as indicated at 30. Thus, when the shaft 18 oscillates the links 21 and 22 will impart to the feed dog a back and forth motion, while the link 25 and bell crank 27 will impart to the link 29 and feed dog an up and down motion. 76

As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the feed dog has two rows of teeth 31 and 32, operating or extending through slots in the presser plate 33, and for purposes hereinafter specified in thepractice of my invention in connection with attaching fillers to the shoulders of garments, the teeth 32 or the teeth operating adjacent the edge of the presser plate are preferably dull. Thepresser plate has an opening 34 in front of the teeth 31, through which the upper flattened end of a plunger 35 is adapted to operate to engage against the mate rial being sewed and push the same upwardly as the needle swings down, so that the needle will loop through predetermined layers of material. The plunger is actuated by a lever 36 which oscillates with the shaft 37 to move the block 38, on which the plunger 35 is mounted, up anddown in the slot in the plate 17. The presser plate has openings 39 in its sides to register with similar openings in the side arms 40 of the presser plate support 41, the lower end of which rests on the leaf spring 42 to yieldably support the presser plate. As shown in Fig. 1, screws 43 are inserted through the registering openings in the presser plate and arms 40 to secure theparts together. Obviously, the presser plate 33 may be depressed to an extent permitted by the clearance between the top of the plate 17 and the lower ends of the arms 40, and by the pivotal connections 23 and 20. a 105 Above the pressure plate 33 and fixedly secured to the frame of the machine is a plate 44, having at its rear upstanding lugs 45 through which screws 46 engage into the frame of the machine to secure the plate in place, as shown in Fig. 1 110 At its forward end the plate 44 has an upwardly flaring extension 47,and adjacent thereto a slightly curved guide 48 above which the needle swings toward the shuttle. One side of the plate 44 is reduced or cut away as at 49, and the presser plate 33 is provided with an upstanding longitudinal rib or material guiding abutment 50, which as shown in Fig. 2, is disposed in the cut away or reduced section 49 on the plate 44 when the presser plate is in raised position. The exact formation of the reduced section is immaterial, it being important to have the plate 44 cut away sufficiently to permit the rib 50 to assume the position shown in Fig. 2 above the lower face of the plate 44.

Referring to Figs. 4-6, there is shown a fragment of a filler or sleeve head pad 51 which serves the purpose of rounding off the joint between the coat sleeve and the coat, and giving a smooth appearance to the finished garment. Without this filler the shoulder padding 52 would terminate right at the point where the sleeve is joined to the coat and would create sharp angle or drop off. However, by inserting the filler 51 in the position shown in Fig. 4, so that it can assume the position shown in Fig. 5, the finished appearance of the garment is greatly improved. Heretofore such fillers when attached by machine were greatly compressed along the line of stitches which extended all the way through the several layers of filler, fabric, and padding, etc., drawing the same together. This was due to the fact that the only known mechanical means for securing the several layers together was the reciprocating needle type of sewing machine. However, if the filler is attached as shown in Fig. 4 by blind stitches 53 which extend only through the filler and catch the fabric 54, with the fabric 54 stitched separately to the padding as by stitches 55, then the filler will not be materially compressed but will retain its flufliness and when the filler is folded back to the position of Fig. 5, the effect from a standpoint of appearance is much better and more lasting than when the several layers and filler are all stitched together by a row of stitches extending all the way through and compressing them.

I have found that this desirable effect and manner of securing the filler to the fabric can be quickly, effectively and cheaply obtained by the provision of the novel arrangement of presser plate and cooperating parts described above, as the rib 50 forms a guide against which the edges of the layers of fabric and padding moves as the needle 15 swings through an arc and pierces the filler and the fabric 54 on its movement to the shuttle where the loop is formed. Of course, the plunger 35 can be adjusted to move up against the fabric being fed over the presserplateto any desired degree, and the needle also may be adjusted. The curved plate 4'7 and the oppositely curved end of the presser plate 33 facilitates feeding of thick material or layers of material such as herein disclosed and helps to prevent the material from becoming entangled or caught on operating or sharp parts.

I have found that by dulling the teeth 32, that is, the teeth adjacent the edge of the presser plate that when the feed dog operates againstlinings of rayon, silk or like materials the same will not be materially or noticeably damaged, yet the teeth 31 which operate in alinement with the stitches will with the assistance of the dulled teeth 32 carry the material through.

So far as I am aware, I am the first person to provide for securing sleeve head pads or fillers to garments by a mechanical operation without compressing the layers of material and producing the same desirable appearance as is had when the sleeve head pads or fillers are attached by blind stitches made by hand. My invention greatly increases production and enables the sewing of the sleeve head pads or fillers to the garments on the same scale of production as that had when the sleeve head pads are attached by the reciprocating needle type of sewing machine. Therefore, my invention provides the highest quality without sacrificing quantity.

The invention can be readily adapted to existing machines now in use, as well as to new machines, and thus very simply and economically increases production and improves appearance of clothing at a nominal cost.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for use on sewing machines of the oscillating needle type, to secure by stitches a relatively thick and soft layer of material to a piece of fabric superimposed on other layers of material without passing said stitches through all of said layers, comprising, a depressible presser plate over which the superimposed layers are fed, an upstanding guide on said plate arranged in a plane substantially parallel to the plane in which the needle oscillates, and a plate affixed to the machine above said presser plate and formed to permit the upstanding guide to pass beyond its lower face when the presser plate is in elevated position.

2. Mechanism for use on sewing machines of the oscillating needle type, to secure by stitches a relatively thick and soft layer of material to a piece of fabric superimposed on other layers of material without passing said stitches through all of saidlayers, comprising, a depressible presser plate over which the superimposed layers are fed, an upstanding guide on said plate arranged in a plane substantially parallel to the plane in which the needle oscillates, and a plate aflixed to the machine above said presser plate and formed. to permit the upstanding guide to passbeyond its lower face when the presser plate is in elevated l position, theforward end of said presser plate flaring downwardly and outwardly, and a portion of said other plate flaring upwardly and outwardly above said flaring end of the presser plate.

3. Mechanism for use on sewing machines of the oscillating needle type, to secure by stitches a strip of compressible shoulder filler to a layer of fabric superimposed on other layers of material without passing said stitches through all of said layers, comprising, a depressible presser plate over which the superimposed layers are fed to the stitching mechanism, an upstanding guide on said plate for abutment by the edge of some of said layers to guide the material, a feed dog operable through said presser, plate and having two rows of teeth, one in substantial alinement with. the needle, and the other adjacent the side of the presser plate, said second row of teeth being dulled, and means for operating said feed dog and stitching mechanism.

JOHN W. B. COLEMAN. 

